The battle continued, and Roark immediately pointed forward, "Larvitar, [Rock Slide]!"
Larvitar stomped the ground, and massive chunks of rock suddenly tore themselves from the battlefield and launched toward Turtwig.
"Turtwig, [Razor Leaf]!"
Turtwig spun around and fired a barrage of razor-sharp leaves again. The leaves sliced through several of the rocks, then he started running to close the distance.
But he wasn't the only one. On the other side, Larvitar suddenly charged through the dust.
"[Brick Break]!" Roark shouted.
Larvitar's arm glowed white as it swung its fist downward.
But Ash countered quickly, "Turtwig, [Withdraw]!"
Turtwig quickly pulled himself into his shell, and Larvitar's fist slammed directly into Turtwig's shell, sending him rolling across the battlefield.
Turtwig went flying, hit the wall, then bounced right back, slamming Larvitar in the head and knocking it onto its bottom. Then he took the chip damage from the burn.
Turtwig peeked his head out curiously, which just seemed to irritate Larvitar more.
"[Bite]!" Roark commanded.
Larvitar opened its mouth, rushing toward Turtwig.
"Turtwig, [Seed Bomb]!"
Turtwig fired a glowing green seed directly into Larvitar's face. The seed fell into its mouth and exploded, but the explosion didn't stop Larvitar. It reached forward and bit down on Turtwig's head, preventing him from going back into his shell.
Turtwig struggled, his little legs kicking against the ground as Larvitar shook its head.
Ash immediately pointed forward, "[Headbutt]!"
Turtwig's eyes narrowed. He couldn't pull himself into his shell, so instead he leaned forward and slammed his forehead directly into Larvitar's face.
Larvitar staggered backward, but it refused to let go.
"[Bite]!" Roark shouted again.
Larvitar bit down harder.
Turtwig winced, but Ash didn't panic.
"Hang in there, Turtwig! [Leech Seed]!"
The little Pokémon's back sprouted several seeds, and he fired them directly at Larvitar from point-blank range. The seeds wrapped around Larvitar's body.
Roark's eyes widened slightly, then he called out, "Larvitar, throw him!"
Turtwig spun through the air before landing on his shell and bouncing twice across the ground, skidding until Turtwig finally stopped and shook himself off.
"[Rock Tomb]!" Roark continued immediately after.
Larvitar slammed its foot into the ground, and several large rocks erupted around Turtwig, trapping him between them.
"Turtwig, [Razor Leaf]!"
Turtwig spun around and fired a barrage of razor-sharp leaves, cutting through the rocks before they could completely surround him. He managed to break through, but Larvitar was already waiting on the other side.
"[Brick Break]!"
Larvitar rushed forward, its fist glowing white.
"Turtwig, [Energy Ball]!"
Turtwig opened his mouth and fired an [Energy Ball] directly at Larvitar.
But Larvitar pushed its fist in and punched the orb of energy, struggling against it before breaking through and hitting Turtwig straight across the face, sending him flying across the battlefield.
Turtwig bounced once, twice, then crashed onto his back. He slowly flipped himself over, breathing heavily. But Larvitar wasn't looking much better.
Ash smirked, "Alright, let's give them a show. Turtwig, everything you've got left, [Superpower]!"
Roark raised an eyebrow, but he smiled, "Alright, Larvitar, you too, [Superpower]!"
Both little Pokémon stomped on the ground, then charged at each other, crashing against one another and struggling to push the other one down. They both grit their teeth as the ground under their feet started to crack from how much they didn't want to lose.
Then Larvitar raised his head, while Turtwig charged an [Energy Ball] in his mouth. As Larvitar slammed its head down, Turtwig fired the orb, and it exploded in between them, sending them both flying back.
When they landed, both of them tried to push themselves up. They struggled, but Turtwig's feet gave out first as he fell down. Larvitar looked like it was about to roar in victory, but then the burn damage got him, and he fell over, also knocked out.
Then the drone flew over both Pokémon, scanning them one after the other, "Larvitar and Turtwig are both unable to battle! This means both Pokémon are knocked out!"
Ash returned Turtwig to his Poké Ball and held it in his palm, "Get some rest. You earned it."
Roark did the same with Larvitar, returning the little Pokémon to its Poké Ball, "You too, Larvitar."
Then he went to his belt and got his last ball and held it out, "Are you ready? I've still got one more Pokémon."
Ash smirked as he pulled out a Poké Ball of his own, "Only if you're prepared to lose. I've got something extra special for you."
"Oh? You're getting my blood pumping already," Roark smiled.
Both trainers threw their Poké Balls at the same time.
Roark's Poké Ball opened first, "Go, Cranidos!"
The Fossil Pokémon burst onto the battlefield, landing heavily on its feet, while he also had a cheeky Sitrus Berry in his mouth at the ready.
Ash's Poké Ball opened, "Riolu, you're up!"
Riolu landed lightly on the battlefield, immediately lowering himself into a fighting stance, and he had a Life Orb around his waist like a belt.
Then, at the same time, Ash and Roark called out,
"[Rock Tomb]!"
"[Force Palm]!"
Cranidos slammed its feet into the ground as several massive rocks erupted from the battlefield and launched toward Riolu.
At the same time, Riolu rushed forward, his paws glowing with Fighting-type energy.
Riolu weaved between the first two rocks, ducked underneath another, then jumped over a fourth. When he landed, he immediately accelerated.
Cranidos's eyes widened as Riolu closed the distance. Then, before it could move away, Riolu got close and hit Cranidos's chest with an open palm. Then he shot out a pulse of Aura that sent Cranidos backward, sliding several feet across the battlefield.
Cranidos dug its feet into the ground, stopping itself from being pushed any farther. Then it bit down on the Sitrus Berry in its mouth, chewing it as it immediately charged back in.
Roark grinned, "Nice start, but let's see how you handle this! Cranidos, [Headbutt]!"
Cranidos charged forward, its massive skull beginning to glow white as it rushed toward Riolu.
"Riolu, dodge with [Quick Attack]!" Ash called.
Riolu suddenly vanished in a blur, darting to the side just as Cranidos's head slammed into the ground.
"Now, [Force Palm]!"
Riolu spun around and rushed back in, his paw glowing with Fighting-type energy as he struck Cranidos across the side of its head.
But Cranidos dug its feet into the ground and managed to stay standing.
Roark smiled, "Not bad! Cranidos, [Zen Headbutt]!"
Cranidos's forehead began glowing purple as it rushed forward.
"Riolu, [Double Team]!"
Riolu suddenly split into several copies, surrounding Cranidos. Cranidos stopped for a moment, looking around at all of the Riolu.
Roark pushed his glasses up, "[Stomping Tantrum]!"
Cranidos began stomping its feet on the ground one after the other, and stones began breaking off and firing in every direction. Since the last hit technically failed, the power was doubled, and each of the clones got destroyed until only one was left.
Roark grinned, "There you are!"
Cranidos rushed toward one of them, Cranidos slammed its head into the Riolu, only for it to disappear.
Ash smiled, "Wrong one."
The real Riolu burst out of the ground from the hole that Onix made earlier. Riolu slammed his foot into Cranidos's back, sending another pulse of Aura through its body.
Cranidos stumbled forward, but managed to hold his ground
Roark's eyes widened, "Cranidos, turn around!"
Ash didn't give it the chance, "[Low Sweep]!"
Riolu dropped low and swept his leg underneath Cranidos. Cranidos's feet were knocked out from under it, and the Fossil Pokémon crashed onto its side.
Cranidos rolled onto its feet, shaking its head as it tried to recover from the Low Sweep. Cranidos growled and pushed itself back onto its feet just as Riolu rushed toward it.
"[Headbutt]!" Roark commanded.
Cranidos lowered its massive head and charged forward.
"Jump!" Ash called.
Riolu immediately jumped backward, narrowly avoiding Cranidos as its massive skull passed underneath him. But as he did, he fell back, doing half a backflip and landing on his hands.
"Now!" Ash shouted, "Use [Vacuum Wave]!"
Riolu shot a burst of air from the palms of his hands that launched him forward again and let him kick Cranidos's face, sending the Fossil Pokémon stumbling backward. Riolu flipped through the air before landing smoothly on his feet.
Roark felt a drop of sweat slowly start falling from the back of his head, "Cranidos, [Zen Headbutt]!"
Cranidos's forehead began glowing purple as it charged toward Riolu.
"Dodge with [Quick Attack] again," Ash commanded.
Riolu vanished in a blur, and Cranidos swung its head through the spot where Riolu had been. But Riolu had already moved behind it. Then Riolu rushed forward and slammed his paw into Cranidos's back with another [Force Palm].
Roark gritted his teeth, "Cranidos, turn around!"
Cranidos spun around, but Riolu was already on top of him, and in the palm of his hand, he was charging a blue orb.
Ash smirked and snapped his finger, "Sorry, this is our win. [Aura Sphere]!"
Riolu spun midair. Cranidos tried dodging, but that's what he wanted, because as the attack came down, it was a feint. Riolu landed on the ground and then shoved the [Aura Sphere] forward.
Cranidos was sent flying, and he skid over the ground before crashing into one of the raised stones that it had brought up, shattering it into dust and smoke. Eventually, Cranidos stopped rolling, and it didn't get back up. Knocked out.
Then the drone flew over Cranidos and scanned it, "Cranidos is unable to battle! The winner is Riolu!"
Dawn immediately jumped out of her seat, throwing both pom-poms into the air, "YES! ASH WON!"
Piplup jumped beside her, waving his tiny pom-poms, "Pip-pip-pip!"
Verity raised her pom-poms as well, getting into it at the last moment, "Go Ash!" she said before she caught herself and immediately lowered her hands.
Ash flicked the edge of his cap up and smirked, giving Riolu a wink, "And that's game."
Riolu pumped his arms up and jabbed at the air excitedly before putting his hands on his waist and puffing out his chest.
Across the battlefield, Roark slowly walked over to Cranidos. He crouched beside his Pokémon and gently placed a hand on its head.
"You did great, Cranidos," Roark said with a smile, "That was one heck of a battle."
Cranidos opened one eye slightly, "Cran..."
Roark chuckled, "Yeah, yeah. I know. You're tired." He returned Cranidos to its Poké Ball and stood back up.
Then he walked over to Ash, taking off his helmet and putting it under his arm, "I didn't see that coming, but I accept my defeat! And in recognition of your victory, I present you with this, the Coal Badge." He went into his pocket and pulled out a badge, holding it out for Ash.
Ash reached out and took the badge, looking it over for a moment before smiling. But then he looked over toward the stands.
His eyes landed directly on Verity. Verity immediately noticed the look. She slowly lowered her pom-poms, "...No."
Ash's grin widened.
Verity pointed at him accusingly, "Ash, don't."
Ash suddenly jumped up onto the edge of the battlefield and quickly ran toward the stands. He climbed up into the spectator area and walked straight toward Verity.
Verity immediately backed away, "No, no, no, no. Whatever you're thinking, the answer is no."
Ash grabbed her by the shoulders, "It's your turn!"
Verity's eyes widened, "WHAT?!"
Ash grinned, "I signed you up for the next battle, remember?"
Verity stared at him in horror, "I didn't think it would be right now!"
Verity tried to back away, but Ash grabbed her arm and started dragging her toward the stairs.
"Ash!"
"Come on!" Ash laughed as he dragged her along.
Dawn was already laughing from the side, "Come on, Verity! You can do it!"
"You're not helping!"
As they got down into the stadium, Ash suddenly noticed the pom-poms still sitting in Verity's hands. Then a mischievous grin appeared on his face.
Verity noticed it immediately, "...What?"
Ash reached down and took the pom-poms from her hands.
"No," Verity said quickly, shaking her head and trying to take them back, but it was no use.
Ash raised both pom-poms into the air, "GO VERITY!"
Verity's entire face immediately turned bright red, "A-Ash!"
Dawn burst out laughing.
Ash waved the pom-poms around enthusiastically, "GO VERITY! YOU CAN DO IT!"
"STOP!"
Dawn laughed, then joined in, getting back-to-back with Ash, "GO VERITY!"
Verity covered her face with both hands, absolutely mortified, "I hate both of you!"
Piplup joined in, raising his tiny pom-poms and shouting, "Pip-pip!"
Verity looked between all of them in disbelief, "I can't believe this is my life."
Roark, who had been watching the whole thing from the battlefield, chuckled, "Well, I guess that answers the question of who my next challenger is."
Verity slowly looked over at him.
Roark smiled, "Don't worry. I'll give you a few minutes to get ready."
Verity sighed in relief, "Thank you."
Roark turned around and started walking toward the back of the Gym, "I'm going to get my next team ready!"
Verity watched him disappear through the doorway, then let out a long sigh of relief, "Okay..." she muttered, rubbing her arms, "I have a few minutes to mentally prepare myself."
Ash walked back over toward Dawn, still holding the pom-poms.
Dawn looked at him, "You know you're still holding those, right?"
"I know," Ash said, with no shame at all.
Meanwhile, Paul had remained standing near the spectator area, quietly watching the battlefield. He looked toward Ash for a moment before finally making up his mind.
He walked over to him, stopping a few feet away. Ash noticed him and raised an eyebrow.
Paul gave him a polite bow, "That was a good battle," Paul said, "I learned quite a bit watching it."
Ash blinked for a moment, then smiled, "Thanks."
Paul straightened himself back up, "Next time we meet, I look forward to finally battling you."
Ash nodded, "Same here."
Paul nodded once, then turned around and began walking toward the exit.
Dawn watched him leave for about three seconds before her eye twitched, "Wait."
Paul stopped and looked back.
Dawn pointed toward the battlefield, "You're not staying?"
Paul looked at her, genuinely confused, "Why would I?"
Dawn's mouth dropped open, "Because we're about to have another battle?! And you could have the decency to cheer her on."
Paul shrugged, "I don't care about that battle."
Verity, who had been standing nearby, slowly turned toward him, "Excuse me?"
Paul looked at her, "I don't know you, nor do I really care," he said like it was obvious.
Verity stared at him.
Paul continued completely honestly, "I only stayed for this battle because I wanted to watch Ash fight."
Dawn's eye twitched harder, "You could at least stay and cheer her on!"
Paul shook his head, "I have no reason to."
Dawn threw her hands into the air, "Okay, your rudeness, you don't have to be a jerk about it."
Paul nodded absentmindedly, then he turned around and continued walking toward the exit.
Dawn stared after him in disbelief, "He really just said that and walked away."
Verity sighed, "I don't think he even realizes how rude he is."
Ash shrugged, "That's just Paul."
Dawn crossed her arms, "I know, but still!"
Verity looked toward Ash, "And you're just okay with that?"
Ash nodded, "Trust me, he used to be a lot worse."
Dawn sighed, "I know...I'll give him that. He's a lot better than how I remember him."
Verity sighed, "You two are weird."
"Well, we don't have to think about that. We have something much more important to talk about," Ash said seriously.
"Is it my battle?" Verity asked.
"No, no, this is far more important than that," he said. Then he tilted his hip to the side and looked down, "Do you guys think I could pull off a skirt for the cheerleading look?"
Verity's face immediately went bright red, "...Ash."
Dawn completely lost it, "PFFT-HAHAHAHA!" Dawn doubled over, clutching her stomach as she started laughing, "Oh my gosh! Ash, you absolutely could!"
Verity covered her face with both hands, "Why are you encouraging him?!"
Dawn wiped a tear from her eye, still laughing, "Because it's funny!"
Ash grinned and struck a ridiculous cheerleader pose, "See? Dawn gets it."
Verity peeked through her fingers, "No, she doesn't! She's just as weird as you are!"
Dawn immediately stood up straight and pointed at herself, "Hey! I resemble that statement!"
Verity groaned, "You two are impossible."
Ash moved one of the pom-poms to his hip and raised the other one above his head, "So what do you think? Do I have the legs for it?"
Verity's face somehow became even redder, "STOP ASKING QUESTIONS LIKE THAT!"
Ash blinked innocently, "What? I'm trying to complete the outfit."
Dawn was now practically crying from laughter, "Ash, I think you need the skirt. It would complete the look."
Verity spun toward Dawn, "DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM!"
Dawn put her hands on her hips, "I'm just saying, if you're going to commit to something, you should commit all the way."
Ash nodded, "Exactly."
Verity pointed at both of them, "No! Absolutely not! We are not buying Ash a cheerleader skirt!"
"Hmm, fine, for now, but I'm keeping the pom-poms~" He raised his hands, and Dawn pointed in both of them, crossing their arms and saying in unison,
"Go Verity!"
Verity turned red and covered her face. At the same time, Roark walked back out and called out, "Are you ready?"
"Yes! Yes, please!" Verity blurted out and ran away from Ash and Dawn to her spot, "Please, let's just start this to get it over with!"
Roark blinked, but then he looked over and saw Ash with the pom-poms still, and he had a knowing smirk, "Alright, then let's begin."
—
{Meanwhile, around this time}
Barry and Lucas finally made their way into Oreburgh City, and Lucas nearly hugged the ground and cried tears of joy.
"Finally, we're here! I thought we would never get out," Lucas said.
Meanwhile, next to him, Barry actually looked like he had been in that forest. He had a full twig in his hair and everything, and he gave a side-eye over to Lucas, who looked completely clean, and muttered, "You're one to talk," he said, pulling the stick out of his hair.
Lucas got up and started walking, "Now, off to try the local restaurants!" he said happily as he started walking, but Barry reached his arm out and caught him by his scarf and started dragging him.
"Nope, we are gonna go to the Gym. That's why we're here!" Barry said, deciding for both of them, even though Lucas didn't even know if he wanted to do the Gyms. After all, he was told to go on an adventure, not to go to the League. I mean, he could, but currently he didn't have any motivation to do it. He just wanted to enjoy some snacks.
Lucas stumbled after him, trying to keep up, "Barry, I told you, I'm hungry!"
"You can eat after we get our badges!"
"I don't even know if I want a badge!"
"You'll want one after you get one!"
"That doesn't even make sense!"
"It makes perfect sense!"
Barry finally reached the entrance to the Oreburgh Gym and practically kicked the doors open, "WE'RE HERE!"
Lucas stumbled through after him, "Barry, you don't have to announce it!"
Barry immediately stopped, and Lucas walked directly into his back, "Ow. What?"
Both the boys looked forward and saw that they seemed to be a bit late to the party. Verity was on one side with her Piplup, while across from her stood Roark with another Cranidos, and they were in the middle of their battle.
Then they looked over and noticed Ash and Dawn with pom-poms in their hands. Ash also noticed them, and he smiled and waved at them, "Hey guys, you finally made it."
Dawn also looked over, "Oh hey, what took you guys so long?"
"We took an epic detour is what," Barry said, puffing out his chest.
"We got lost," Lucas cut in with the real reason, making Barry nearly fall over.
Then he got up and narrowed his eyes at Lucas, "That's slander. I'll fine you for that."
Ash chuckled, then he pointed down to the battle, "Maybe we do this later. Verity is doing her thing, so we've got to cheer her on."
"Is that why Dawn is wearing a cheerleading outfit?" Lucas asked, but his voice was muffled when Barry cut in.
He looked down and yelled, "Come on, Verity, you can beat him, and if you lose, I'll fine you 1 million!"
Verity finally heard his voice and looked up, feeling a helpless drop of sweat fall from her head, "Gee, thanks for the motivation," she muttered before getting back to the battle.
Roark raised his arm, "Cranidos! [Headbutt]!"
Cranidos immediately charged forward. Its massive skull began glowing white as it rushed toward Piplup.
"Piplup, dodge!" Verity quickly commanded, "[Bubble Beam]!"
Piplup quickly jumped to the side, then he puffed out his chest and fired a stream of bubbles directly into Cranidos's face.
The attack exploded against Cranidos's head, forcing it to stagger backward. Piplup immediately used the opening to roll out of the way, and Cranidos's head slammed into the ground where Piplup had been standing.
"Piplup, keep moving!" Verity called out, "Use [Bubble Beam] again!"
Piplup spun around and fired another stream of bubbles at Cranidos, but Roark quickly pointed forward, "[Rock Tomb]!"
Cranidos slammed its feet against the ground, and several rocks erupted upward between it and Piplup. The bubbles crashed into the rocks and popped harmlessly.
"Piplup, [Peck]!"
Piplup immediately rushed forward, his beak glowing white as he jumped over the rocks and dove toward Cranidos.
"Cranidos, [Headbutt]!"
Cranidos charged forward at the same time, its massive skull glowing white. Then the two Pokémon collided. Piplup's beak struck Cranidos directly in the forehead, while Cranidos's skull slammed into Piplup's chest.
Both Pokémon were sent flying backward. Piplup rolled across the ground before catching himself with his flippers, while Cranidos stumbled backward several steps. But when Cranidos got up, it was going to eat the berry it had, but it was gone. It looked over and saw Piplup with his cheeks full, chewing and swallowing with a smirk.
Verity smirked, "Bet you didn't think of that, did you?!"
Roark smiled from across the battlefield, "Hah, really good! You've got me on my toes. [Rock Slide]!"
Cranidos stomped the ground, and rocks suddenly broke loose from the ceiling, crashing down toward Piplup.
"Piplup, [Bubble Beam]!"
Piplup fired a stream of bubbles upward. The bubbles struck several of the falling rocks, knocking them off course, but there were too many. Piplup jumped from side to side as rocks crashed around him.
One rock slammed into the ground right beside him, sending him tumbling, but Piplup quickly pushed himself back onto his feet. Cranidos was already charging.
"[Zen Headbutt]!" Roark commanded.
Cranidos's forehead began glowing purple, and he moved even faster toward the small penguin.
Verity's eyes widened, "Piplup, jump!"
Piplup jumped into the air just as Cranidos rushed underneath him.
"Now, use [Aqua Jet]!"
Piplup curled himself into a ball and surrounded himself with a spiraling stream of water before shooting downward.
"Cranidos, move!"
Cranidos tried to dodge, but Piplup slammed directly into its back, sending them both tumbling into the ground.
"Again!" Verity quickly shouted.
Piplup bounced off the ground and immediately launched himself back toward Cranidos.
"Cranidos, [Headbutt]!"
Cranidos spun around and charged, getting ready to use its head like a bat to knock Piplup out of the air.
But this time Verity quickly whistled, "Come on, Piplup! This is nothing compared to what we did before! [Ice Beam]!"
Technically, she was right. Compared to that one time when she threw an attack at Entei, this was technically easier. I mean, don't get me wrong, she didn't win there either, but staying standing for more than 5 seconds already is impressive, even if she lost most of that strength because she didn't train. But that's besides the point.
As for this move, let's just say that extra training Ash gave her wasn't just to torture her. That was just the main reason. There were benefits, one of which was Ash testing her with this little maneuver.
As Piplup was in the [Aqua Jet], he blasted Ice inside the water, immediately freezing it and turning the water jet into a water torpedo that came down like a hammer and crashed right into Cranidos, who tried to counter it, but it was no use. Ice is really heavy, and the force of this was more than this low-level Cranidos could deal with.
So the [Headbutt] was overpowered and pushed back, sending Cranidos onto its back. Then the ice crushed Cranidos under it, only shattering once it hit the hard ground. But when Piplup broke out, he fell out, rolling on the ground and laying down belly-first.
He was not used to doing that, and that took a lot out of him. If he didn't steal that berry earlier, he would have probably knocked himself out. But speaking of that, Cranidos tried to get up, but it couldn't. After getting crushed by a hammer made of ice, it got knocked out.
The drone flew over Piplup and Cranidos, scanning them both before announcing, "Cranidos is unable to battle! The winner is Piplup! Verity is the winner!"
Verity stared at the battlefield for a moment, almost as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard. Then her shoulders dropped, and she let out a long, exhausted sigh, "...I won."
Piplup slowly pushed himself up off the ground, looking just as exhausted as his trainer, "Pip..."
Verity looked down at him and smiled tiredly, "Yeah...we did."
Dawn immediately jumped out of her seat, throwing both pom-poms into the air, "YES! VERITY WON!"
Ash joined in, raising his own pom-poms and cheering loudly, "GO VERITY! YOU DID IT!"
Barry jumped up beside Lucas, pumping both fists into the air, "YES! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!"
Lucas clapped along.
Verity looked toward the stands and saw all of them cheering for her. Her face immediately turned red again, "Please stop..." she muttered.
Ash grinned and waved the pom-poms harder, "GO VERITY!"
"ASH!"
Dawn laughed, "Come on! You earned this!"
Verity sighed, but she couldn't stop the small smile from appearing on her face, "Fine...just this once."
Roark chuckled as he walked toward Verity and Piplup, "Well, that was one heck of a battle. You two really pushed yourselves." Roark nodded before reaching into his pocket, "And for that, I think you've earned this." He pulled out a small badge and held it out toward Verity, the Coal Badge.
She stared at it for a moment before slowly reaching out and taking it from his hand, "I...actually did it."
Ash walked over, still holding the pom-poms, "Told you that you could."
Verity looked at him, then down at the badge again, "You also dragged me into this."
"Technicalities."
Dawn walked over and smiled, "Congratulations, Verity!"
Verity smiled back, "Thanks."
Piplup jumped up and down excitedly beside her, "Pip! Pip!"
Barry suddenly stepped forward and threw one hand into the air, "ALRIGHT! I CALL NEXT!"
Everyone turned toward him, and Barry pointed dramatically at Roark, "I'm next! Let's go!"
Roark blinked, then he scratched the side of his cheek awkwardly, "Uh...about that."
Barry's grin slowly faded.
Roark gave him an apologetic smile, "I'm afraid that was actually my last battle for today."
Barry froze, "...What?"
Roark raised both hands apologetically, "Sorry! I only do three battles every day, but you're free to try to sign up for the next available time. But I need to get back to work."
Barry stood there, then he immediately deflated like he was a balloon that just got a hole poked through it.